“Beethoven’s Emperor” was the simple title given to the intricate programme from the latest subscription series of the Australian Chamber Orchestra, bringing works (and composers) together who were influenced by Ludwig van Beethoven. It resulted in a curious choice of composition-segments in the first half (which actually worked better in concert than it looked on paper), and a splendid single Beethoven work undermined by a problematic performance.
The first movement of Symphony no. 2 in C minor by Ferdinand Ries, a pupil and friend of Beethoven, opened the concert, performed under the artistic leadership of Helena Rathbone (Principal Violin). As three key players of the orchestra, including Artistic Director Richard Tognetti, were absent from this series, the obvious question was: can the ACO maintain its usual high standards in such circumstances? The answer was decidedly in the affirmative, although the communal sound of the players was different; for example, the music’s “special effects”, the many surprising accents, were more subtle than at other times. Nonetheless, it was a refined and spirited performance, well supported by polished solos by horns and bassoons.
Interspersing variations from Franz Schubert’s Impromptu no.3 in B flat major with an Entr’acte from his incidental music to Rosamunde proved to be an inspired idea, as both are based on the same lovely theme. Kristian Bezuidenhout, Artistic Director of the concert, performed the fortepiano solo with the delicate accompaniment of often reduced strings. This pairing effortlessly gave the impression of a piano concerto slow movement in variation form, alternating between different instrumentations. It was gentle and intimate music-making, calmly led with Apollonian eloquence and stylish rubato by the fortepianist, worthy of a Schubertiade in the early 19th century.
The melding of three works or excerpts from them (composed across three centuries), while a provocatively interesting concept, was less convincing, even with Beethoven’s influence as a cohesive factor. Swedish composer Britta Byström’s recent work A Walk to Beethoven’s First Symphony, with its muted trumpet solos at the beginning, while enjoyable was only loosely connected to a Liszt transcription of the second movement from Beethoven’s First, which segued into the final movement of Mozart’s Piano Concerto no. 20 in D minor – all for fortepiano and orchestra. Both Bezuidenhout and the ACO performed with great élan and enthusiasm, but that tormented piano concerto without its opening two movements left me with the impression of missing out, as if trying to admire an exquisite ring with two of its three diamonds misplaced. A Liszt transcription on fortepiano felt equally unconvincing.
The one fully Beethoven composition was the Piano Concerto no. 5 in E flat major, “Emperor”, presented as the final number; arguably, a complex composition with many difficult entries, syncopations and delicate instrumental balances. Bezuidenhout has a long history of performing it, both with and without the guidance of a conductor. On this occasion, an artistic decision was made to play it unconducted. To keep the ensemble tight may have been the reason for the almost complete lack of rubato playing – so admirable earlier in the Schubert item. The freedom of articulation and the commanding artistic personality of the soloist, vital in this masterwork, was diminished by the effort of staying together. They did and the strings-only introduction of the slow movement was magical, but the Dionysian joy of the last movement was hardly noticeable. It did not help matters that the projection of the chosen Graf-copy fortepiano was frequently overwhelmed by the orchestral sound.
